No Shortcuts For God

God has chosen each of His followers to be His ‘chosen instrument’.

Acts 9.1-19

Reference:  v.16  “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (NIV Bible)

Explore:  We all like the easy life… or at least I do!  If there’s a quicker, more effective way of getting things done then I like to hear about it.  I try to discover all the short-cuts on my computer keyboard and get frustrated when I’m using a program that doesn’t allow them!
Unfortunately, when we are chosen by God, there aren’t any short-cuts to make things easier.  God had chosen Saul to be His ‘chosen instrument’ (v.15) and yet He followed up that honor by saying that he ‘must suffer for my name’.  Saul should have known the kind of suffering that he would face, as he had inflicted a lot of the suffering on other Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

Application:  God has chosen each of His followers to be His ‘chosen instrument’.  You may not have the skills to be a travelling missionary like Saul (whose name was changed to Paul) but you do have skills in other areas.  And God has given us each strengths and abilities so that we can use them to build His kingdom.
Now, we must keep in mind that it’s not going to be easy!  There are times when we will all suffer for God’s name, but then we will know that we are truly being used for Him.

Prayer:  Lord, we tend to shy away from hardship and troubles.  You never promised us an easy life, but You did promise to be with us through every part of our lives.  Help us to feel Your presence, especially when we feel we are suffering.  Amen.

Acts